As part of a larger research study, three freshman writers were observed in order to determine when they rewrote compositions, when they rethought major concepts and designs, and when they reviewed stylistic options and made purposive as opposed to uninformed changes in their writing. Their tape recorded comments were guided by questions on (1) how the writer decided on a topic, (2) whether it was the first one considered, (3) whether the writer spent a great deal of time thinking before writing, (4) if the writer took preliminary notes or spoke with anyone, (5) whether the writer wrote the paper straight through, (6) how the peer group reacted, (7) the writer's reaction to the teacher's comments, (8) whether the writer was satisfied with the piece or if he or she wanted to revise it further, and (9) whether the writer's original intention changed from beginning to end. Students were asked to tape record their feelings before beginning to write, during break times and after completing drafts, after peer group interchanges, before and after the second draft, before and after teacher comments, and at the completion of the writing task. The recorded comments illustrated the recursive shaping and revising, motivations for revisions, and the discovery of intentions in the writing process. (HOD)